Autoglass® 2020 vision: the future of the car windscreen

Augmented reality - intelligent car windscreens that provide real-time visual information to drivers are only a few years away, according to Autoglass®.

The UK's leading vehicle glass repair and replacement specialist is predicting that the car windscreen will soon function as an interactive visual display for everything going on in and around the car.

To demonstrate how the windscreen of the future would work, Autoglass® has produced a video of how driving around London in 2020 might look.

By 2020, the windscreen will display key information about speed, fuel and any issues with parts of the car. It will also combine visual sensors with augmented reality1, online maps and GPS technology to provide drivers with live, visual information about the places and hazards around them.

Dr Chris Davies, head of technical research & innovation at Autoglass® said, "As well as accounting for up to 30% of a vehicle's structural strength, the windscreen has become an interactive tool for sharing information and improving the driver experience. Essentially the car is becoming more like a laptop and the windscreen will evolve into the virtual information screen."

Davies continued, "Augmented reality technology has been widely used in smartphones for more than 18 months. Manufacturers are already working on assistance technologies such as collision avoidance systems, lane departure systems and sign recognition. We believe that within 10 years car manufacturers will have completely revolutionised the function of the car windscreen."

"We're very in tune with technological innovation in the motoring industry, particularly around the role of the windscreen. Both glass and augmented reality technology are nearing a point where the windscreen can work harder to improve road safety, awareness and driving in general. The traditional dashboard will become obsolete," added Davies.

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1Augmented reality is the process of using electronic devices to add virtual elements to a real life image or situation. This is achieved using a camera to capture the real image, but using the electronic device to overlay virtual or computer-generated elements on top of this. For a more detailed description, please read this page on Wikipedia.